The wind howled through the silence that followed the soldier's words. Neither Raizel nor Bairan responded - though Bairan wasn't in a position to answer anyway.
A dozen heartbeats passed as Burning Storm surveyed their surroundings before finally lowering his gaze.
"And if I insist?"
The soldier's grin stretched unnaturally wide, his eyes mirroring the madness of his smile.
"I'll feast on your flesh," he hissed. "Rip you apart tendon by tendon and feed your scraps to the sewer rats."
A slow smile spread across Paragon Raizel's face, his jade-green eyes glowing with hidden depths - like calm waters masking something monstrous beneath.
His crimson spikes swayed gently as he tilted his head. With a subtle curl of his lip, he stepped forward - casually, effortlessly - brushing past the frozen soldier.
The man's eyes bulged, his grin splitting wider until it threatened to tear his face apart. His entire body trembled with unspent violence.
